Speed and power changing device



NOV. 5, 1940. s 2,220,196

SPEED AND POWER CHANGING DEVICE Filed Dec. 9, 1938 ashe ts-sheet 1 In ventor Mrmarz/Jflmdensew A itomeys No; 5, 1940. Y N ANDERSEN 2,220,196

SPEED AND POWER CHANGiNG DEVICE Filed Dec. 9, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 v Norma/n Ilia/denier? A tforneus In ventor SPEED AND POWER CHANGING DEVICE Fi led Dec. 9, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet s Inventor Mrmaw flflndersen/ A tiorneys Nov. 5, 1940. N. D. ANDERSEN 2,220,196

SPEED AND POWER CHANGING DEVICE,

Filed Dec. 9, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 r i NIH ill - In ventor .Nbrmawfldwiensen A ttorneys;

Patented Nov. 5. 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Norman D. Andersen, Flint, Mich., assignor of one-half to Robert B; Laird, Flint, Mich.

Application December 9, 1938, Serial No. 244,861

4 Claims.

This invention relates to hydraulic means for changing the speed and power application of the driving member in relation to the driven member such as for instance, an automobile motor in relation to the driving wheels.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a hydraulic mechanism employing cylinders and pistons and specially devised valves controlled by centrifugal force which in operation will be positive acting and not susceptible to the ready development of defects.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a mechanism of the character stated 5 which will afford an even and gradual application I of power transmission between the driving member and the driven member.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the reader of the following specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view taken substantially on a line ll of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a side elevational View.

Figure 3 is an end elevational view with parts 25 broken away.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view on the line 6-6 of Figure 3. V

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view showing the parts in idling position.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view of the valve means showing the parts in high speed position.

Figure 9 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the rotor and one of the cylinders with its cylinder head removed.

Figure 10 is a top plan view of one of the weighted levers.

Figure 11 is a side elevational view the lever shown in Figure 10.

Figure 12 is an end elevational view of the lever shown in Figures 10 and 11.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen that the numeral 5 denotes the usual drive shaft and numeral 6 the driven shaft. The power transmission means is generally referred to by numeral 1 and includes the rotor 8 which is molded in such a.manner as to form cylinder shells 9 therein having cylinder bores Ill. These cylinder o5 shells extend from one wall, while the other wall,

namely the wall II, is removable and secured in place to the peripheral wall l2 by machine screws l3.

As shown in Figure 7 and in Figure 5, each cyl- 1m inder shell 9 has a formation l4 extending laterally therefrom and each of these formations I4 is longitudinally bored to receive the outer valve member [5 and the inner plunger I6 with a spring interposed therebetween, each of the valve members [5 being provided with a reduced extension I! which serves as a stop against the corresponding cylinder head l8 which is suitably bolted in place as at H).

Numeral represents the oil storage space and a channel 2i extends around the valve element l5 so that oil can pass from the cylinders l0 into the upper portion of bore of the valve formation M to this channel 2| and to the reservoir 20 in circulating by way of this valve I5 to the reservoir and back again to the cylinders ID by way of the valve port 22. The Valve port 22 is located adjacent the port of the valve l5 but has a valve seat 23 for a poppet valve 24, the stem 25 of which extends downwardly through the web 26 and guide 21. The lower end is provided with a tappet or head 28 against which the nose portion 29 of the corresponding centrifugal force lever 30 can engage. This lever 30 consists of the gear portion 3| having the teeth 32 for mesh with the teeth 33 on the ring gear 34. Extending in one direction from the gear 3| is the nose portion 29 adapted for engagement with the corresponding tappet 28 while extending in the opposite direction is the weight member 35.

The outer edge portion of this lever has the outwardly curved surface a. starting from the point of the nose 29 and moving inwardly and then sweeping inwardly toward fulcrum point 36 to start again at b to form another raise or hump c and then recede back to the pocket (2. As can be seen in Figure 8, a coiled compressible spring 31 is interposed between the tappet 28 and the said web 26.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the ring gear 34 has a pin 38 extending laterally therefrom and through a slot 39 in the removable end wall H. As a matter of fact, there may be three of these pins 38 extending through corresponding slots and three coiled extensible springs 48 extending therefrom.

These springs 40 extend and connect the bosses or studs 4| on a ring 42 located on the outside of the plate I l and which can be adjusted and held in place by machine screws 43 driven into the plate H and extending through slots 44 in the said ring 42. A cap plate 45 is disposed over the rings 42 and springs 40 and is secured to the plate I l by machine screws 45.

A circumferentially grooved collar 41 is slidably mounted on the drive shaft 5 and has three (more or less) ears 48 extending radially therefrom and each having a pin 49 extending therefrom in parallel relation with the drive shaft 5 and extending through openings in the cover plate 45 and through openings in the removable header H, and when this collar 41 is shifted on the drive shaft 5 toward the ring 34 by a suitable manual control, the pins 49 are driven into the recesses 50 of gear 34 and this obviously prevents operation of the weighted gears 3|,with the result that the weighted gears will always remain in the idling position shown in Figure '7 so that the engine can be accelerated to any extent desired Without the transmission of power.

It can be seen in Figure 4 that inside of the rotor 8 the drive shaft 5 is provided with the triple pitman crank structure 5| from which the pitmans 52 extend to the piston 53 operative in the cylinders In. One end of this crank 5| is journaled for rotation over the bushing 54 on the adjacent end of the driven shaft 6.

It can now be seen that normally at idling speed the oil or other fluid is simply being sucked into the cylinders I!) through the port 22 and then forced back into the reservoir through the ports 22. When this action obtains, the springs 40 have previously rotated gears 34 and 3| to the position shown in Figure '7 and the pins 49 are engaged in recesses 56 of the gear 34, so as to maintain the valves 24 unseated and the valves l5 under light spring pressure preventing fluid flow through the passages controlled thereby. However, as momentum increases, that is, as the rotor rotates, the collar 41 previously having been manually shifted to the left in Figure 4 to disengage the pins 49 from the gear recesses 50, the weights 35 will begin to move outwardly, each rotating its gear 3| and removing its nose 29 away from the stem of the corresponding poppet valve 24. Thus, in a short time the suction effect of the cylinders must lift the poppet valve 24 but as this poppet valve closes on output from the cylinders H) the fluid must be forced back into the reservoir 20 by way of the piston valve l5. This return of the fluid takes place until the plunger l6 reaches the pocket at on the centrifugal force lever where the tension there of the compressed spring 55 between the plunger l6 and the valve IE will be so great as to prevent further opening of the valve I5, thus allowing the drive shaft 5, the rotor 8 and driven shaft 6 to turn in unison.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A power transmission comprising a drive shaft, a driven shaft, means for operatively connecting said shafts, said means including a cylinder structure carried by the driven shaft and a piston operative therein and operated by the drive shaft, a reservoir containing fluid, a conduit between the reservoir and the cylinder, a poppet valve in the'conduit adapted to be closed by the fluid subject to the pressure stroke of the piston, a rocker carried by the cylinder structure and provided with a gear segment, a rotatable gear ring with which the gear segment meshes, said rocker provided with a centrifugally operated weight at one end and a projecting toe member at its opposite end, spring means associated with the ring gear to hold the ring gear and rocker at a definite position at low speed with the toe member pressing against the poppet valve to maintain the same open, a second conduit from the cylinder to the reservoir, a valve in the second conduit, tension means for the second valve tending to close the same, and means between the rocker and the second valve for increasing the effect of the tension means as the rocker responds to the centrifugal force and as the poppet valve is released by removal of the toe member therefrom.

2. A power transmission comprising a drive shaft, a driven shaft, means for operatively connecting said shafts, said means including a cylinder structure carried by the driven shaft and a piston operative therein and operated by the drive shaft, a reservoir containing fluid, a conduit between the reservoir and the cylinder, a poppet valve in the conduit adapted to be closed by the fluid subject to the pressure stroke of the piston, a rocker carried by the cylinder structure and provided with a gear segment, a rotatable gear ring with which the gear segment meshes, said rocker provided with a centrifugally operated weight at one end and a projecting toe member at its opposite end, spring means associated with the ring gear to hold the ring gear and rocker at a definite position at low speed with the toe member pressing against the poppet valve to maintain the same open, a second conduit from the cylinder to the reservoir, a valve in the second conduit, tension means for the second valve tending to close the same, and means between the rocker and the second valve for increasing the effect of the tension means as the rocker responds to the centrifugal force and as the poppet valve is released by removal of the toe member therefrom, the said means between the rocker and the second valve consisting of a cam on the rocker adapted to ride against the said second valve.

3. A power transmission comprising a drive shaft, a driven shaft, means for operatively connecting said shafts, said means including a cylinder structure carried by the driven shaft and a piston operative therein and operated by the drive shaft, a reservoir containing fluid, a conduit between the reservoir and the cylinder, a poppet valve in the conduit adapted to be closed by the fluid subject to the pressure stroke of the piston, a rocker carried by the cylinder structure and provided with a gear segment, a rotatable gear ring with which the gear segment meshes, said rocker provided with a centrifugally operated weight at one end and a projecting toe member at its opposite end, spring means associated with the ring gear to hold the ring gear and rocker at a definite position at low speed with the toe member pressure against the poppet valve to maintain the same open, a second conduit from the cylinder to the reservoir, a valve in the second conduit, tension means for the second valve tending to close the same, and means between the rocker and the second valve for increasing the effect of the tension means as the rocker responds to the centrifugal force and as the poppet valve is released by removal ofthetoe member therefrom, said means between therocker and the second valve consisting of a 01- lower member between which and the second valve the tension means is interposed, and a cam formation on the rocker for riding engagement with the said follower.

4. A power transmission comprising a drive shaft, a driven shaft, means for operatively connecting said shafts, said means including a cylinder structure carried by the driven shaft and a piston operative therein and operated by the drive shaft, a reservoir containing fluid, a conduit between the reservoir and the cylinder, a poppet valve in the conduit adapted to be closed by the fluid subject to the pressure strokeof the piston, a rocker carried by the cylinder structure and provided with a gear segment, a rotatable gear ring with which the gear segment meshes, said rocker provided with a centrifugally operated weight at one end and a projecting toe member at its opposite end, spring means associated with the ring gear to hold the ring gear and rocker at a definite position at low speed with the toe member pressing against the poppet valve to maintain the same open, a second conduit from the cylinder to the reservoir, a valve in the second conduit, tension means for the second valve tending to close the same, and means between the rocker and the second valve for increasing the effect of the tension means as the rocker responds to the centrifugal force and as the poppet valve is released by removal of the toe member therefrom, an adjustable ring externally and concentrically disposed with respect to the ring gear, circumferential permissible adjusting means for the ring, said spring means associated with the ring gear being interposed between the ring gear and the said adjustable ring.

NORMAN D. ANDERSEN. 

